Thai resort gets trashed by 30 guests

In most movies set in American high schools, you’ll be familiar with the scene where teens are left home alone, only for their parents return to epic messes in the aftermath of illicit parties. One Thai resort lived through that experience first hand when their patron showed up with a party twice the size that the resort had been informed of, and completely trashed the pool villa.

Here’s what happened when the resort owners went public and the patrons got in touch.

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A mess not unlike a 90s teen movie party

In a now deleted post, a Pattaya resort shared pictures of the mess left by a group of patrons who checked into one of its pool villas. For context, the resort usually ensures potential guests understand the rules and sign a contract agreeing to a set of terms that will help the resort maintain smooth service.

Image credit: Khaosod

One of these rules include a maximum occupancy of 15 people in the villa. What actually happened was that twice that amount of guests showed up. With 30 people crammed into the one villa, neighbours started calling in to complain about the noise.

After two warnings, the resort informed the problematic guests that the resort would be charging them extra for each person over the capacity and damages that would amount to somewhere north of ฿17,500 (~US$475). But come morning, they found that the guests had fled the scene leaving the doors ajar. 

Image credit: Khaosod

After proper review, they found that in addition to the garbage, the guests had eaten the snacks and drinks for sale prepared by the maids without paying, as well as stealing some of the electrical equipment. 

So the resort called the guest who, according to the resort owners, was extremely argumentative and refused to take responsibility for the damages to the villa.

Neighbouring hotel and netizens get involved

The drama attracted netizens and, surprisingly, neighbouring hotels who came to express their sympathy. In particular, the neighbouring hotel made their own post to help fellow hotel administrators identify potential problematic guests. 

Screenshot: โรงแรม เอสเคเค บ้านฉาง – SKK Banchang Hotel

The list – which can be taken as satire and useful advice in equal measure – includes checking how potential guests chose to name themselves on Facebook. According to the post, problematic customers usually append strange punctuation in their handles, or may include words like “Imyour” or “เอฟเอฟ” in their names.

They also said hotels should pay attention to the type of profile picture their potential guests use. In particular, they said hotels should be wary of Facebook users with anime profile pictures and motorbikes among others. 

Screenshot: โรงแรม เอสเคเค บ้านฉาง – SKK Banchang Hotel

Translation: Hey wait, I have a motorbike in my profile picture. Will I be seen as problematic?
Translation: It’s alright. Troublemakers don’t usually ride vintage motorbikes. 

Extending the lighthearted humour tinged with truth, the hotel even helped to answer follow-up questions in the comments as the post became a viral hit. 

The guest returns with a vengeance

After the post went viral on Facebook, however, the OG Thai resort made a follow-up post that gave netizens a glimpse into the ongoing feud behind closed doors. 

In it, we see that the guest had made payments to the resort for the damages. However, we also see that the guest had failed to show up to make the payment in person at the police station as previously agreed. The payment was also made with the stipulation that the original post would be taken down. 

Image credit: La Blanca Pattaya พูลวิลล่า พัทยา

The final messages from the resort owner indicated that he or she would be informing the authorities that the payments have been made. But in the texts, it can be seen that the problematic guest was asked if he or she would still be coming to smack the owner, implying that the guest had previously made threats of violence. 

Finally, in what is hopefully the last follow-up post, the Thai resort said that they had settled their differences. The guest called to apologise and had made the payments to compensate the resort for the damages. The resort had also apologised to the guest for repeatedly badmouthing the guest after discovering the mess. The resort clarified that the guests had been scared of having the cops called on them after the two warning calls from the resort so they fled. 

But it seems that in the end, cooler heads prevailed and both parties left largely satisfied with the outcome. 

Keep calm and hash it out clearly

It appears that this saga was the result of two parties who didn’t communicate to each other clearly and assumed things in a rush. And what followed were huge arguments that led to threats of violence and a lot of public bashing. But after enough time had passed, both parties came to the realisation that if they had cooler heads during the mess and clearly communicated their worries and needs, then perhaps the mess would have been sorted out earlier.

So next time conflict rears its head in your life, make sure you keep a cool head and ask for some time to think things over before making any impulsive decisions.

Cover images adapted from (Clockwise from Top Left): Khaosod, Khaosod

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